


Flash. Bang. Jane.

by ButterflyRaven, now_itsjustthegas



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, Canon-typical swearing, F/M, Gen, The major character death is canon, Tim deserved better, title is a lyric from ‘what tim wants’ from black friday, tons of references to ‘what tim wants’
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25931884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterflyRaven/pseuds/ButterflyRaven, https://archiveofourown.org/users/now_itsjustthegas/pseuds/now_itsjustthegas
Summary: The windscreen wipers were a little slower than they should have been, but Tom was the only one bothered by it. He was squinting to try and see clearly through the pouring rain as he drove, he could see just enough but still had a pit in his stomach. He felt that something bad was going to happen. He was right.
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Paul Matthews & Ted, Tim Houston & Tom Houston, Tom Houston/Jane Perkins
Comments: 24
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on Tom, we’re going to be late!” Jane called out to him as they rushed to the car.

“I’m coming! But Tim’s being stubborn” Tom replied, trying to get his son out the door.

Tim was only being a little stubborn. His toy car had just broken ‘by itself’ and didn’t seem to want to be fixed. Tim was pouting just inside of the house. “We can’t go! I’m scared”

“You’ll be fine” Tom reassured his son with a touch to the head. “Nothing bad’s ever happened to us before, why would it start now?”

“Fine” Tim agreed reluctantly, finally getting in the car. The rain pattered against the roof as they got in.

The windscreen wipers were a little slower than they should have been, but Tom was the only one bothered by it. He was squinting to try and see clearly through the pouring rain as he drove, he could see just enough but still had a pit in his stomach. He felt that something bad was going to happen. He was right.

As the car approached the intersection Tim squealed with joy, having finally made the toy car able to work again. Tom was startled slightly by Tim’s joy.

“Are you alright?” Jane asked him

“Yes...yes, of course” he replied. He tried to focus on the road again, looking straight ahead. He didn’t notice the other car, or who was driving it

But Jane noticed.

“Tom! Watch out-“ she cried

Flash..

Bang.

The last thing Jane saw was the face of the man driving the other car, with a distinctive look of horror etched upon it. After that, only blackness.

Tom opened his eyes to see his car around him and his wife’s body limp against an airbag. “Jane..?” he asked tentatively “Tim..?”

His son was crying for more than one reason. His legs hurt, his mum wasn’t comforting him like she normally did and there were too many loud noises. Most of all though, he cried because he had known thar they shouldn’t have got in the car.

“Tim, it’s all going to be alright” Tom voice was shaking. Tim just curled up in a ball and cried. Tom was still crying to process the situation, was Jane okay?

The answer to that question was no, she wasn’t. She was gone, and nothing would ever be the same.

———————————

Ted drove along, disgruntled by the rain. Work had been shitty that day, too many reports, too much work. He just wanted to go home and get drunk.He didn’t really like driving, if he was honest. It required a level of focus that he hated, preferring to think about nothing or new ways to get back at his slightly annoying colleagues

He turned on the radio, it wouldn’t tune in. He fiddled with the radio trying to get it to play something. Glancing up at the road quickly, he saw no cars. Still fiddling with the radio, he finally got some old 80s music to play. He liked 80s music, it was nostalgic to him, he returned his eyes to the road. Seeing a red car, he noticed the face of the woman in the passenger seat. First her resemblance to the crabby barista at Beanies, then her look of horrified panic, then the reason it was there. His expression began to mirror hers

——————

They were waiting in the ER. Tom was trying to keep Tim calm, but it was partly for his own benefit as well . Physically, Tom has no injuries but his mental scars were still healing from his time in Iraq.

Tim was panicked, Jane had been sent into a hospital room. They didn’t know if she was alive. He had minor injuries that had already been tended to, but his heart ached with worry about his mother.

His eyes kept searching the room as if the truth was somewhere on the walls, but he couldn’t find it. His gaze fell on a man the other side of the room, whose crooked jaw was moving up and down quickly as he worriedly chewed on something. Whenever Tim was at the hospital he often wondered why the other people he saw were there. Was it a check up? Was it something more serious? He just hoped they were all okay.

“What you looking at buddy?” Tom asked, trying to bring a little lightness to a dark situation. His eyes pointed in the same direction as the smaller ones next to him.

“That man looks worried” Tim replied, he was only 8 so he couldn’t exactly understand or articulate the pure exhaustion in the man’s eyes, the way he’d looked like he had completely given up on life.

Tom knew exactly what his son meant. For a moment, he had complete eye contact with the other man and could almost connect with him, before the other man looked away and he was left staring into nowhere

Tom looked back at his son, he wanted to reassure Tim that it would all be fine but truthfully he didn't even know if it would be okay. That was when a nurse came towards them and began to speak. Tim knew what had happened as soon as she had said 3 short words. “I’m so sorry”

Ted looked over to the family, in the silent corridor he could hear what the nurse had said. Ted had killed someone. He was a murderer. Life as he knew it had changed. He felt desperate, alone, with no way to escape the inevitable. He almost approached the broken family to comfort them, but eventually decided against it, leaving the hospital. Now, he really wanted a drink

Tim starting sobbing when received the news, but Tom wouldn't cry. At least not in front of Tim. He didn't wamt to break but tears filled his eyes, he subtly tried to wiped them away but they kept coming. Tim hugged him, sobbing into his shirt.


	2. Trying to cope (not succeeding)

In reality, there was only one person missing from the house, but it felt like an empty shell, far too hollow to be a home. Tom sighed as he walked in, forgetting to wipe his shoes on the doormat, as she wasn’t there to remind him to do so.

Tim trailed behind him, the silence in the house was deafening. Neither of them spoke as they walked him. What were they supposed to do now? Plan the funeral? Find her will? Just grieve? Tom had never had a loss like this before, he just didn’t know how to handle it, he collapsed onto his sofa and put his head in his hands, crying.

His father crying wasn’t a sight Tim had seen before. He himself had cried, lots of times, but normally his parents would be there to comfort him, and he didn’t know what to do know it was the other way round. Without thinking, he just ran to his bedroom and, without realising, mimicked his dad’s exact posture.

He saw the picture of him and his mother on his shelf, he got up and quickly turned the photo to face down. Seeing her would just make him more upset, he curled up on his bed and sobbed. Sobbed loudly. He didn’t care if his father heard him, he didn’t care if the neighbours heard him, he didn’t care if the whole world heard him. Although crying wouldn’t bring his mother back.

If only.

Tom heard his son’s wailing, and his first instinct was to rush to him like he had when he tiny, but when he found himself outside the door of his 8 year old son’s room, he stopped himself, realising that this problem couldn’t be solved by giving him a bottle of milk, holding him in his arms or anything as routine as that. ‘My God.’ He thought. ‘Can you see what you’ve done’.

————————-

Ted arrived back at his house, he barely trusted himself to drive home. He almost took the bus but couldn’t be bothered to have to collect his car the next day. The rain poured as he walked to the door of his house, jamming the key in the lock. As soon as he was inside, he closed the door before immediately collapsing against the wall.  
“What have I done?”

He pulled out his phone hoping for a distraction, only to be met with a couple of texts from Charlotte asking him to call her. He definitely did not want to think about the family in the car, so he decided to go ahead, and lifted his phone up to his ear, focusing on the dial tone rather than the fact his wrist was shuddering back and forth at an alarming speed

“Oh hello Ted, I just wanted to check in on you, since you haven’t replied all day, sorry if I’m disturbing you-“

“No no no...Charlotte it’s fine” his voice broke.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, yeah, I’m fine..”He still couldn’t help but think about the woman, the woman who’s horrified expression he saw just before black, the woman he killed.

“You.. don’t exactly sound it, but what do I know, eh?” She tried to regain his attention, having been starved of it from anyone all day, including her cat.

“Charlotte...can you come over?”

”Oh to uh...”

“No, I just need someone to talk to, you know?”

“Okay, I’ll be right over! I’ll have to be back before Sam gets back though..”

“Yes, I know”

“Okay...well...I’ll see you soon”

“Bye Charlotte,” He hung up. He almost smiled, but still, that woman’s face was the only one he could think about, her dark eyes filled with terror — and a sense of knowledge, because she knew, she knew how he was a truly awful person.

He reluctantly dragged himself up off of the floor, he didn’t want Charlotte to see him in such a state, even though they were very close. His clothes were drenched, so he quickly changed, part of him wanted to tell Charlotte everything and sob into her shoulder as soon as she walked through the door but another part of him wanted him to take this secret to the grave.

Something jammed in his throat when he realised the woman had been given no choice but to do just that. He smiled with his mouth, but not his eyes, pretending to be a better person, but he could never be them. No matter how much ‘better’ he became, he still wouldn’t be a good person. He couldn’t be, not now.

There was a knock at the door. He inhaled and exhaled deeply to try and stay calm, he walked downstairs. Even before opening the door he knew it was Charlotte, but when he did he was immediately hugged by her.

“Hi Ted!”

“Hey Char” he hugged back, a hug was honestly something he needed in that moment, something to lose himself in, burying the car crash in the deepest darkest depths of his mind, pretending it was an alternate reality, a parallel universe where his worst character trait was teasing his colleagues and eating their yoghurts.

Charlotte pulled away from the hug, he missed the warmth immediately. 

“So uh...” Ted awkwardly tried to continue the conversation “Do you want a drink? Coffee?”

“Oh no, that’s alright, I don’t want anything”

They both sat down on his sofa, Ted was still conflicted of whether to tell Charlotte the truth of why he asked her over. 

Eventually he decided that no, he wouldn’t. It didn’t seem like the right moment, and if Charlotte knew he was a murderer, she’d never look at him the same way again, and he did like the way she was currently looking at him. Yes, the truth would have to be blasted off to outer space, and never seen again.

“Are you alright Ted?” she placed her hand on top of his comfortingly

“Yeah...just had a long day”

“Oh, I understand,” She attempted to fill the silence. “I have long days all the time, what with work, and not being allowed to smoke, and Sam working late, and all that, you know?”

“Yeah, I get that, sorry about your situation with Sam” 

“It’s okay, I know he loves me...he’s just got a funny way of showing it”

Ted curled up his lips, his moustache brushing against his bottom lip. “Yeah, forget Sam. Let’s just... forget everything for now”

“Okay...I’m sensing this is a bit more than just a long day...you obviously don’t have to talk about it...but...I’m here for you”

He tears up slightly “Thanks”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted begins to tell the truth, but not to everyone, and Jane's absence is keenly felt.

Ted sat up, taking his head out of his hands and beginning to simply stare into the ether.He had too many thoughts, none of them good.Charlotte wanted to try and comfort him but had no idea of the thoughts that were flooding his mind.

“Please talk to me, Ted”

“Okay, okay. God, I sound like Paul. I’ll tell you, but, it doesn’t leave this room you understand?”

“Of course, Ted! What’s on your mind?”

“I... I... wait give me a minute” he buried his head in his hands

He didn’t raise his head before he said “My car. I crashed”

“Oh that’s okay! You’re alright right? It’s-“

”I crashed into someone”

It took all the self-restraint she had, but Charlotte doesn’t say anything. She just sat there, eyes wide, like a rabbit caught in the headlights, grateful that she hadn’t been, unlike someone. Eventually she breaks the silence “Ted, I-“

”And shes dead, okay? I fucking killed someone”

“It was an accident though, right?”

”Yes but- ugh, I was being stupid and not paying attention and now... someone’s dead, her family - her kid - was devastated. Does it matter to that kid whether I meant to murder his mother? Of course not, to him she’s just dead. I’ll get to bounce back from this, people die in car crashes all the time but him? I don’t even wanna think about it.” He fell back into the sofa with a sound louder than seemed possible.

He felt a tear fall from his cheek, the wiped it away immediately, he wasn’t used to being this vulnerable around people. Part of him wanted to break down entirely but another part wanted to pack it all back in and pretend like it never happened. He ended up choosing the latter option because, as everyone knew, Ted was just a creep, a sleazeball, a horny bastard. He didn’t have feelings.

Creeps don’t get sympathy. They get not invited to everything. They don’t deserve sympathy. Well that’s what Ted thought at least.

“Ted, I’m sorry....but you didn’t mean to, please don’t beat yourself up-“

”It’s a bit late for that, Charlotte!” he shouted, he didn’t mean to lash out, but he had so much on his mind.“You know what, maybe I should just go. I can walk home, it’s fine. You don’t want Sam catching me here do you?”He too a deep breath “Look, I’m sorry Char, I just feel like this was a bad idea”

——————  
Tim had school the next day, but understandably he didn’t want to go. He just didn’t want to do anything but cry alone in his room. Especially, he didn’t want to see how everyone stared at him when he walked in, as they would, knowing his mum was dead.

“Dad” he just yelled downstairs, not being bothered to get up “Can I not go to school tomorrow?”

“Your education is the most important thing to focus on right now Tim,” Tom shouted back from downstairs, somewhat hypocritically. “You’ve been loads of times, it can’t be that bad, can it?”

“But Dad...everyone’s heard about the crash...” Tim said, so quietly Tom almost didn’t hear him. “What if they ask or...or just stare..?”

"Well, if they do, then that's their problem. You can just go on being Tim, who's a great guy, and I love him. Okay?"

“But Dad... I just... please?” Tim looked like he was about to cry.

”I...fine...but next week you’re going” Tom reluctantly agreed

"Thanks Dad," Tim tried to smile, but he still looked sad. There was something in his eyes, or rather, there wasn't something, that made him seem sadder than he had been I the first 8 and a half years of his life. In a way, Tim didn’t really understand death, he just knew he would never see his mother again. That thought made him want to cry but he had cried so much the last few days that there was no tears left. He was just empty, and that is such a painful emotion, especially for an 8 year old to feel.

Tom looked towards his son, not knowing what to say. 'God, Jane would know how to fix this' he thought. It was almost funny, for a second, before he remembered.

\--------------------

Ted and Paul were friends, or at the very least colleagues who had a good working relationship. It was 11:30am on a typical Tuesday morning and the two of them had just walked into Beanies together, in search of caffeine to keep them going through the day at CCRP. That's when Ted nearly fucking fainted. He could have sworn he saw the woman he killed working at the counter, but upon further observation she just looked a lot like her.

"Ted, are you okay? You seem a little... spooked," Paul had a slightly concerned expression on his face. If only he knew.

“Oh yeah, dude, just uh... checking out the barista”  
”For fucks sake, Ted”

"What, you got a problem with that? What, you got a crush on her, Paul?"

“Oh no, no...of course not, I just come here for the coffee”

“You could easily go to that starbucks across the street”it 

”Be honest Paul the coffees shit”

"You never drink it, just the chai ice tea. I don't wanna give my money to some corporate chain anyway,"

"Oh, you're getting all defensive are you?"

"Shut up, you're paying,"

“Fine” they walk over to the counter, Ted can’t look the barista in the eye, she looked too much like that woman “We’ll take a chai iced tea and a black coffee please”

"Sure, that'll be $5.60”

After the drinks are made, they take them and go, but Ted doesn’t even wait for Paul. He speeds walks back to the office, breathing heavily. He swears the face of that woman is popping up everywhere. There’s only one thing for it, one way to make himself feel sane again, so he hatches a plan. He knows there can only be one place she’ll be buried, Hatchetfield sends all it’s dead to the same cemetery. So that’s where he’s going, as soon as this workday’s over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it's me, your friendly neighbourhood fanfic author reminding you that we really appreciate kudos and comments, they make my day :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted goes to the graveyard, and meets someone new, who's been haunting his mind

Ted walked in through the creaky gate, holding a small bunch of flowers, for a woman he definitely didn’t love, but needed to get out of his head. He had no idea how he was going to find her grave. He didn’t even know her name. On his way to the cemetery, he saw Paul, who joked that Ted was “after another girl, as always” but Ted just walked past; if he stayed for a second longer he would have broken down in front of Paul. Then he would tell the whole office that Ted was pathetic and weak. Which was true, Ted was a weak, lonely, pathetic man, but he didn’t want anyone else to know that.

Someone cleared their throat on the other side of the cemetery. Ted spun his head towards the noise, and that's when he saw her, the woman from the crash. She was sat on one of the fresher graves, Ted could tell as the stone was paler and free of moss. "Jane Perkins" It read, "Loving wife, mother and sister"

He just stared at her for a second in disbelief, he just couldn’t believe it. But she was dead. Ted dropped his flowers, speechless. He didn’t even bother to pick them up, as he wasn't exactly going to put them on the grave with her right there. Instead, he decided to give her an awkward thumbs up, regretting it instantly. “I’m...I’m sorry” Ted managed to get out, still frozen in shock.

“Well it’s a bit late for that now” she laughed slightly, Ted was so taken aback “How’s my family? Are they okay?”

“I don’t know your family...”

"You sure?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "Well, that makes sense. After all, I don’t know you other than as that guy who crashed his car,"

"Uh, I'm Ted"

"Nice name," She gestured down at her gravestone. "I'm guessing you already figured mine out,"

“Yeah...” he stayed silent for a moment “Sorry... I don’t know what to say... I’ve never talked to a ghost before” he laughed awkwardly and looked away from her. When looking away he noticed the flowers on the floor, he tentatively picked them up.

”I uh... brought flowers to, you know...put on the grave” he awkwardly placed them down.

"I appreciate the gesture."

Ted smiled, feeling like the weight of more than just the flowers had been taken out of his arms

“I truly am so sorry....Jane” it felt so weird to say her name “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said...your..name”

“It’s fine, it’s what everyone else calls-called me. I keep forgetting I’m dead. Oh, could you do something for me?”

“Uh, sure what is it?” Ted replied, nervous.

“It’s just, I don’t think most people can see me, only the people who saw me die can see me now, so could you find Emma, my sister, and tell her it’s not her fault? Please? It’s technically my dying wish “

“Yeah, of course...um where can I find her? And give her a message from her dead sister without it seeming weird?”

“I have to say, I don’t know on either of those counts, so it’s up to you now, but to be honest I’m sure you’ll figure something out. She looks a lot like me, or at least that’s what people say.

“I’m sorry, still, I...” he was trying not to cry “I should’ve been more careful while driving I-“ He broke down crying.

“Hey, I forgive you, and that’s all that matters, yeah?” Jane spoke to him like he imagined she spoke to her kid. “I’m the one that’s been killed, so surely I should be able to say what happens in this situation. You’ve already been brave by coming here today, so just keep on going. Can you do that for me?”

“But I don’t deserve to be forgiven”

“Please?”

“Okay, when I’m...a bit more emotionally stable, I’ll go find Emma okay?”

Ted gets up and wipes his eyes. Jane nods at him approvingly, and he feels like he’s about to walk into an exam, without having done enough revision, and, just as with every exam like that he’s been in, he’s going to have to wing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was the scene that inspired us to write this whole thing. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and if you did, please feel free to put random flowers in the comments, as well as anything you'd like to say about the fic :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted fulfils Jane’s request. She doesn’t fulfil any of his

The little bell on the door of Beanies jingled as the two businessmen entered the coffee shop. Ted could tell that Paul was nervous as walked up to the line, though he supposed it was for a reason, not having to tell the barista her dead sister was conveying regards from beyond - or on - the grave.

Paul orders his drink normally, well as normal as you can be when you’re head over heels for the barista. Ted can barely cope with the amount of second hand embarrassment. Luckily, he’s about to cope with some first hand instead. After ordering his chai ice tea normally, he keeps his mouth open for too long trying to find the words. ‘Uhh...’ He can tell Paul and Emma are both staring at him, and perhaps some others are he doesn’t know. ‘Your sister said that uhhh’

“My sister?” Emma interrupted him “...how do you know her”

”It’s a long story just-“ he was cut off again

“You must be mistaken, my sister recently passed”

“No, I’m not, I was there when she died, I saw it happen, and I went to-“ He lowered his eyes as he realised exactly how big of a hole he had dug himself into.“To visit her, and she gave me a message for you”

“What?” Emma was very confused, this random man had just come up to her and said her dead sister had given him a message for her, she tried to change the subject “Sir, are you going to order anything or..?”

“I already did, it was a chai ice tea-“

Emma cut him off again. “Well great then, I think that’s all the interaction we need to have, as there are people waiting and I don’t think anyone’s benefitting from you wasting my time with stupid stories about my dead family. Creep”

He lowered his voice “Look, I know I sound crazy but, just know your sister... passing.. it.. it wasn’t your fault”

She stared up at him, the cogs whizzing in her brain were practically audible. “How would you know that what?” She saw Nora in the corner from her place at the coffee machine and remembered the rule about not accusing customers of murder. “It doesn’t matter, your drinks’ll be ready in a minute”

“Th-thanks” Ted gulped before walking back over to Paul.

”What took so long, man?”

”Oh, she just- she- she didn’t get my order right at first”

“Oh okay”

Ted got up and left before he finished his drink. He noticed Paul apologising to Emma for him through the glass windows, clearly not having believed him, but he didn’t really care. He just wanted out of there.

————__————————_———-  
Ted angrily trudged back to the graveyard, quite rightfully annoyed now that he’d made a massive fool of himself in front of his coworker and everyone else in Beanies. He didn’t understand why Jane couldn’t just tell her sister herself, she was a ghost after all.

She was there, in the same position as before, perched atop her gravestone. The main difference to their first encounter was that Ted was no longer scared of her. He wasn’t cautious at all, he practically wanted to fight, Although he knew you can’t really punch a ghost, it’d go right through them.

“Thanks for that”

She grinned at him “I’m guessing you went to see my sister”

“Yeah and everyone in that coffee shop thinks i’m nuts, including your sister”

“Oh come on,” Her voice had gained a sarcastic tone “You’re my murderer, I’m not obligated to be nice to you. How was Emma’s face, by the way? Was it truly funny?”

“She looked like she wanted to call the cops on me”

”God! That would have been funny! Wish I could have been there to see it”

”Why couldn’t you go tell her yourself? Huh?”

“It probably escaped your notice, but I’m dead, I can’t exactly just casually go to a coffee shop” She swung her legs forward and stood up. “It’s not like anyone even hurt you” 

Ted was speechless, and nearly as uncomfortable as he’d been in beanies. Nearly.

“You got a bit embarrassed, boohoo”

“I don’t have to do shit for you, I could just leave and never see you again, you know what I might” Ted was putting his foot down, he was not about to be bossed around by someone who was dead. He was starting to feel less bad for hitting her with his car.

“Please, go ahead”

Ted was shocked at that, she had been nice before. Well, people change.

“F-fine” he said sternly, trying to remain composed.Ted stuck by his word and walked away. As he walked home it began to rain, he didn’t have a coat or anything so he just picked up his pace until he finally made it back to his apartment.

———————————-

It was a perfectly normal day in the not-so-normal town of Hatchetfield. Ted Spankoffski woke up before his alarm, which was strange, he was usually a heavy sleeper. He got out of bed and splashed cold water onto his face before shoving some bread in the toaster. He hated mornings, when the sun decided to be obnoxious by shining.

He wiped the sleep from his eyes as he leant against his counter, waiting for his toast. Unfortunately he didn’t have much time to waste since he had work that day, so he soon grew impatient with his toast.

He heard it pop up with a creaking sound. His fingers instantly farted away when he tried to get the toast out, due to how hot it was, but he didn’t even care. Burnt fingers were not his biggest problem. Not bothering with any butter that might get caught in his moustache, he just ate the toast dry, letting the crumbs fall.

He trudged up the stairs and put on this work clothes, his tie was messily tied but at the point he just did not care.

Part of him was still wracked with guilt because of the crash, even if the person was a bitch, he still killed someone and he hated himself for it.

Thankfully, nobody would care about that at work. He didn’t want to drive there, not after thinking about the crash again, so he waited on the pavement for a bus, which should honestly have arrived 2 minutes ago. It wasn’t good having time to think; Ted hated thinking. When he thought, even when trying to focus, his mind would always drift. To how much of a fuck up he is. How his “friends” probably don’t really care. And recently, how he killed an innocent woman and ruined the lives of her family.

The bus finally arrived, and when he was on it, staring aimlessly out the window, he could have sworn there was someone staring back at him.

He shook the thought from his head as he took out his phone. No new messages. What a surprise. He then heard a tap on the window, he looked up and for a second he could’ve sworn he saw a face again. He looked around at the other passengers, no one else seemed to hear it so he brushed it off.

Arriving at work had no reason to be such an ordeal, but it was. The way Paul looked at him like a creep, the way Charlotte looked at him like he’d been suffering, the way Bill, who had no reason to look at all still had pity in his eyes all weighed down on Ted’s conscience.

He decided to just work in his office that day, he couldn’t be bothered to have any social interaction. He used the card on his lanyard and unlock and enter his office, there was a woman sitting in his chair. “Hey lady, in case you don’t know this is my-“ oh.

She smiled as though she’d done nothing wrong. He imitated her expression sarcastically. “This is my office, you realise, and I like privacy so if you could leave, that’d be great.

“Yeah but, it was my life that you took so, I think maybe we can share an office” she smiled sarcastically once again, it was starting to really piss Ted off.

He elected to ignore her completely, hoping in vain that she’d get bored and move onto one of her other murderers. “Can you at least move out of my chair?” he crossed his arms, she just looked up at him not moving, “I said, can you move?”

Jane didn’t budge.

Ted did.

It was then that he made the obvious realisation that ghosts can’t really be touched, and found his hand somewhere inside her torso, not feeling anything except cold.

“You know everyone can hear you, right?”

He closed and locked his door quickly, panicking about how stupid he must’ve looked.

She laughed at the look on his face. It was always a source of amusement for her to see how people reacted to things. It was something she had come to enjoy more in death though, where she could laugh at anyone and they wouldn’t even notice.

“Fuck you”

”Hmm you know? I’d rather not, I’d probably catch something”

“Why won’t you leave me alone?!”

”You murdered me, you deserve all you’re getting”

Ted considered it for a second then realised he would have done the same had roles been reversed. His eyebrows moved millimetres upwards.

“Can I at least get on with my work?

“Fine, just because if you got fired I wouldn’t be able to annoy you at work”

He tried to work but it was extremely difficult when being constantly tainted by a vengeful ghost.

Oh well. He had never been the most productive worker anyway, his main skill was pandering to authority. Mr Davidson was hardly on top of the ball as a boss. Still, Jane had to go, and he’d get her out whether she liked it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that. I think it’s the longest chapter, but I haven’t counted. Nevertheless, we thought in lieu of Jane’s a car that perhaps she was a bit more evil than we were led to believe :)


End file.
